Business View Civil & Municipal Apr-2023

138 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 With a population close to 21,000, the city boasts a trade pull factor of 1.9. Deputy City Manager, Jay Byers explains this in layman’s terms, “That is a measure of how many people come from out of town to shop here. A factor of 1.9 means that almost every other sale in the city is from somebody from outside of town. We are about half an hour away from Joplin, which is a metropolitan area about four times our size. So, to have a 1.9 trade pull is pretty significant.” For the last two years, Pittsburg has had double-digit growth in sales tax, and Byers notes that the community also reported strong sales growth through the pandemic. He says, “Our economy is strong. Our city revenues and expenditures are structurally balanced, and our revenues and expenditures in our projections are balanced as well.” As a regional hub for healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing, economic growth in Pittsburg is supported by the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Blake Benson, Chamber President recounts, ”We’re pretty proud of the unique economic development team approach that the city has built here in Pittsburg. It’s paying off because we’ve been able to announce or complete close to $600 million in economic and capital improvement projects just since 2013.” Most recently, a FedEx Ground distribution center was opened, a $30 million investment that brought 165 jobs to the region. “The entire project from the first call to the opening was 18 months. That is something that we’re pretty proud of,” Benson admits. The city has also seen several manufacturing expansions, including one at Avail Enclosure Systems, one of Pittsburg’s oldest employers. “Last year, they landed their largest order ever and that necessitated an expansion,” he relays. Other expansions in the community include those at battery manufacturer EaglePicher Technologies and Kendall Packaging Corporation. Healthcare is another growing sector in Pittsburg, where Ascension Via Christi Hospital has invested